Report: Amazon eyes $149 Kindle Fire

Trent Nouveau, 18th June 2012

Amazon's Kindle Fire boasts a sweet $199 price point and is currently one of the most popular Android tablets on the market.

However, the online retailer may soon drop the price of its original tablet to a cool $149 as it prepares to launch a new version of the Fire alongside a number of new e-book readers.

According to DigiTimes, the new 7-inch device, expected to debut during Q3 2012, will feature a screen resolution of 1280x800 and a $199 price tag.

The original Kindle Fire may be revamped as well, with "similar" specifications as the existing tablet, which is expected to target the entry-level segment and help expand the company's market share at the above-mentioned $149 price point.

In addition to 7-inch tablets, Amazon is reportedly working on 8.9-inch and 10.1-inch tablets models, although development of the 8.9-inch has supposedly already been halted. The 10.1-inch iteration, however, is slated to debut during the fourth quarter of 2012 or the first quarter of 2013.

Although Amazon has yet to confirm the above-mentioned reports, IDC analyst Tom Mainelli says he expects a new, larger-screened device from the online retailer at a "typically aggressive" price point.

"Google will [also] enter the market with an inexpensive, co-branded ASUS tablet designed to compete directly on price with Amazon's Kindle Fire. The search giant's new tablet will run a pure version of Android, whereas the Fire runs Amazon's own forked version of the OS that cuts Google out of the picture," he added.